Footlocker Cross Country are no more. They have a new name: Eastbay Cross Country Championships.

Saladbar who? wrote:

Haha, what did Footlocker do last year to grow the sport?

And I'm sorry we are not in the middle of a pandemic anymore. When football stadiums have 100k plus in the stands you can't tell me cancelling a cross country event is following the science.

Stay in school, kid.

fingers pointing at you wrote:

Stay in school, kid.

good one boomer!

It seems that the HS National meets, Footlocker (now Eastbay), Nike XC (but no National meet this year), and now RunningLane are all competing for the same talent. Sounds like boxing with the IBF, WBC, WBA, etc making it a total mess. Now HS XC National meets are entering into that phase and makes it difficult to say which one is the best.

Confusing HS National XC Meets wrote:

It seems that the HS National meets, Footlocker (now Eastbay), Nike XC (but no National meet this year), and now RunningLane are all competing for the same talent. Sounds like boxing with the IBF, WBC, WBA, etc making it a total mess. Now HS XC National meets are entering into that phase and makes it difficult to say which one is the best.

The teams and most talent seems to be going to Running Lane Nationals . Eastbay is only 32 now. This seems like an odd move to make it smaller. Kinney / Footlocker was a premier National event back in the day, but died down with NXN taking over.

Looking at everything Running Lane National is the premier race/event. The race seems stacked

Saladbar who? wrote:

Doesn't have the same ring to it and now they have reduced it down to 8 runners per region qualify. So a total of 32 boys and 32 girls make it to San Diego. we need to be growing our sport and allowing more opportunity not shrinking it!

I think it is time Eastbay just move on and go away.

It was originally 8 per region, so no big news there. What would be the ideal number per region to qualify? 10 seems to be a nice round number.

Is the registration link up somewhere? The website says today, but I can’t find anything.

well you asked wrote:

Is the registration link up somewhere? The website says today, but I can’t find anything.

Which of the meets are the Newbury runners going to?

It was called Kinney in the 80s and there were 8 per region then.

Lot of anger in this thread. But I guess there is a lot of anger on LR Boards in general.

khcglhc wrote:

well you asked wrote:

Is the registration link up somewhere? The website says today, but I can’t find anything.

Which of the meets are the Newbury runners going to?

Newbury along with the next 15 or so teams are all going to RunningLane, also many top individuals, Riley Hough, Sam Rich, to name a few.

Girls side is stacked as well, but not quite as deep by the looks of it.

Nike sponsors the true nationals. Cross-country is both team and individual. Footlocker (Eastbay) refused to go that route when they had the chance.

I really do wish that race would go away, it detracts from the true national champion.

I get it, we all hate Nike for many very valid reasons but they're the ones putting on this race for a lot more than 64 kids.

runn wrote:

Nike sponsors the true nationals. Cross-country is both team and individual. Footlocker (Eastbay) refused to go that route when they had the chance.

I really do wish that race would go away, it detracts from the true national champion.

I get it, we all hate Nike for many very valid reasons but they're the ones putting on this race for a lot more than 64 kids.

Except Nike isn't putting in NXN and they didn't put it on last year either. Runninglane is the defacto National Championship this year!

So now there's Easybay. Runninglane and Nike XC HS C hampionships?

ronniekray wrote:

So now there's Easybay. Runninglane and Nike XC HS Championships?

Who knows if NXN will come back next year (or ever).

With Newbury going to Runninglane, it will be “the” National Championship this year. As long as Newbury goes to Runninglane, it will remain the National Championship (even if NXN decides to come back).

For coaches recruiting and giving scholarships, it's going to be a long time before they give more weight to performances at a new event like Runninglane over historically important Eastbay/Footlocker/Kinney.

khcglhc wrote:

ronniekray wrote:

So now there's Easybay. Runninglane and Nike XC HS Championships?

Who knows if NXN will come back next year (or ever).

With Newbury going to Runninglane, it will be “the” National Championship this year. As long as Newbury goes to Runninglane, it will remain the National Championship (even if NXN decides to come back).

Congratulations - in the long lost of incredibily stupid posts on let's run this one wins the title. This is quite the feat.

George Romanta Kinney wrote:

For coaches recruiting and giving scholarships, it's going to be a long time before they give more weight to performances at a new event like Runninglane over historically important Eastbay/Footlocker/Kinney.

This is incredibly false. If the best runners in the country are at RunningLane and you are there running against them there will be a lot of weight on that performance.

Will we see a sub-14:10 5k at Running lane?

I see the RunningLane paid trolls and/or race organizers have jumped into this discussion to mouth the same flashy marketing lines and suggest the silly rumors about the other events that they have been doing all over social media. New name or not, Footlocker will always feel like the real individual national championship race to me. Until it doesnt. And I doubt RunningLanes second year will change that. Or that making Footlocker even more exclusive will either. Will probably only help frankly. And please note that I am pre-emptively rolling my eyes at all the crusty old cross heads here who are about to reply back with “BUT CROSS COUNTRY IS A TEAM SPORT ONLY!!” so spare me. But dont worry, this doesnt mean Im an absolutist. I look forward to watching all the “national championship” races they come up with.

I always liked Footlocker and resented NXN. I dislike Nike even more for charging for regionals without paying for a national meet. This was the year for Footlocker to steal the show by hosting teams also. I think Runninglane just eliminated NXN and Eastbay will not be the same.